The present invention relates to a recirculation and sprinkling device to be associated with a fermentation tank or vat, particularly for carrying out processes for making wine from black grapes.
In wine-making, it is widely known to use fermentation tanks or vats which are provided with means for recirculating the wine must that is being fermented from the lower region of the vat to the upper region, with sprinkling of the recirculated wine must onto the layer of marc (known as the head) which is floating on the must contained in the vat.
Apparatus of this type is described, for example, in IT 1 293 978 and U.S. Pat. No. 0,042,443 in the name of the present Applicant, and comprises a tank provided with a separator which defines in the tank a main vat and an upper, secondary vat having associated valve means that are arranged to discharge the wine must periodically from the secondary vat to the main vat in order to sprinkle the layer of marc; a recirculation duct periodically supplies the wine must that is being fermented from the bottom of the main vat to the top of the secondary vat.
Variation of the outlet opening of the valve means associated with the bottom separator or variation of the rules governing the opening and closure movement of the valve means enables the sprinkling stream and the wetting of the marc head to be modulated, improving the extraction of polyphenolic, aromatic, and/or valuable substances contained therein, with substantial benefits to the wine-making product.
Generally, the fermentation apparatus described above is dedicated to wine-making and has considerable dimensions which lead to a fairly high investment cost.